Wheelchair Tennis Players Compete Globally

posted on Dec 05 by Guest Author in the Disability News, Wheelchair Sports category

Tennis player Ryan Nelson, 16, ranks number one in the country. He holds three national junior titles and finished fifth in a world team cup competition. What sets Nelson apart from other top players in the country is that he wins tournaments while he sits in a wheelchair. So do several other players in Utah who compete in wheelchair tennis tournaments all over the world and play recreationally in the state where wheelchair tennis has its roots.

Nelson was born with spina bifida and has used a wheelchair all his life. He used to play wheelchair basketball when he was a kid and started playing tennis five years ago. He has played in Missouri, California, Florida, Louisiana, and internationally in South Africa, Turkey, and England.

The Salt Lake Swimming and Tennis Club (SLSTC) introduced wheelchair tennis 30 years ago. Since then, the sport has grown nationwide and all over the world. One of its early pioneers is Dean Oba, 59, who also has spina bifida. Oba has competed nationally and is the 2009 recipient of Racquet Sports Industry Magazine’s Wheelchair Tennis Champion of the Year award.

Oba credits former SLSTC manager Kathy Rothfels for getting wheelchair tennis off to its early start in the 1980s. Interest in the sport has had its ups and downs, but Oba says that now, “We’re in a period where the group is vigorous.”

“We know there are 500 to 600 tournament players that travel the nation playing tournaments. We’re definitely growing, but a lot of players are missing out on a lot of opportunities,” said Dan James, National Manager for the Wheelchair Tennis Society for United States Tennis. “That’s what makes a local program in Salt Lake where they have different levels of wheelchair tennis players so exciting. It’s exactly what a local program should be.”

Linda Vincent, executive director for the Utah Tennis Association (UTA), has been involved with wheelchair tennis for over 20 years. She was the UTA tournament director when she was approached by a wheelchair player with the idea of incorporating a wheelchair division.

“That was my first exposure to wheelchair tennis,” said Vincent, a huge wheelchair tennis proponent. “We still need to do more to outreach in outlying areas to raise awareness for wheelchair tennis. Ryan (Nelson) is kind of leading the way for other kids. We’re hoping we can get more of them involved.”

Wheelchair tennis players nowadays compete with other wheelchair players as well as with able-bodied players. When playing with able-bodied players, two bounces are allowed instead of one. This allowed Nelson to compete in high school along with players who could run around.

“It’s called the ‘integration rule’ and it was adopted by the International Tennis Federation and the United States Tennis Association,” said James. “If I play someone, (the wheelchair athlete) has every right to play against me, based on ability, not disability.”

The players enjoy playing together and would like to see more people in their group. “Our philosophy is if someone is going to take a risk and come out and play, we want to make sure they have an enjoyable time,” said Oba. “Fun is a huge component of what we do.”

To learn more about wheelchair tennis and Ryan Nelson, watch the news stories below from a little while back when he was only ranked third in the nation (18th worldwide):

Sources:
deseretnews.com/article/700150085/Wheelchair-tennis-Invented-in-Utah-Players-finding-more-ways-places-to-play.html?pg=2

Image source:
deseretnews.com